Outcome of the Fifth Stakeholder Conference on the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan Helsinki, Finland, 3 March 2010
General
The Conference focused on the theme “One goal, one direction, many ways: Streamlining the implementation of the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan and other common actions for a healthy Baltic Sea”.
Participants of the Stakeholder Conference represented national authorities, politicians, IFIs, other Baltic Sea regional bodies, industry, scientific community, private foundations and NGOs. The number of participants was more than 100 persons. The conference programme consisted of opening presentations, presentations of some major projects to combat eutrophication, halt inputs of hazardous substances, protect biodiversity and in the area of maritime activities. A round-table discussion in the afternoon focused on identifying topics for possible new projects in field that are lacking actions, to serve development of a List of Projects for the 2010 HELCOM Moscow Ministerial Meeting.
The Conference stressed the need to streamline various ongoing activities and projects and their resources to better serve the goal of achieving a healthy Baltic Sea and to investigate synergies and possible needs for further coordination between the HELCOM activities / the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan and other processes, like the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, the NIB/NEFCO TA fund, the NDEP etc.
Opening plenary
In his opening statement the Chairman of HELCOM, Mr. Igor Maydanov referred to the “success stories” in streamlining the activities for the protection of the marine environment. He referred to the Baltic Sea Action Summit which showed that it is possible for the Baltic Sea States’ leaders, private businesses, research institutions, NGOs and individuals to join their forces and make commitments for activities to support the achievement of the goal of a healthy Baltic Sea. Mr. Maydanov also pointed to the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region which has heavily drawn on the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan and has in that way strengthened the commitments in the Action Plan. Work by multiple stakeholders operating together under the HELCOM umbrella or with HELCOM support has already substantially contributed to the implementation of the EU Strategy. However, Mr. Maydanov underlined that there is a room for improvement and the need to initiate actions in some areas in order to achieve a full implementation of the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan.
In his speech Director General of the DG REGIO Mr. Dirk Ahner, appreciated the work of HELCOM and particularly its Baltic Sea Action Plan and underlined the important role of HELCOM in successful implementation of the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region. Mr. Ahner stressed that macro region strategies represent new domain in EU as they are prepared on requests and wishes of regions concerned, while the EC is acting as a facilitator of joint actions. The Baltic Sea Region Strategy goes beyond traditional regional policies as it requires joint work of various bodies within the EC for a common goal of prosperous and environmentally safe Baltic Sea Region. The new strategy shall be built upon existing resources, rules and institutions as well as implies better harmonization and reliance of existing regional bodies and frameworks. The Strategy also provides opportunities not only to EU Member States, but also third countries, with particular focus on the Northern Dimension framework. Launching of the EU SBSR marks the beginning of new thinking approach – for greener, cleaner and smarter European continent. However, to compliment the work of HELCOM and EU – a two-way cooperation is needed.
In her statement Ms. Gabriella Lindholm, the Swedish Ambassador for the Marine environment, reflected that development of the EU SBSR was among key priorities for Swedish EU presidency, because the Strategy has a clear aim of strengthening implementation of the BSAP. The Strategy can play an important role on two levels: firstly, it highlights the interlinkage between different policy areas, and the need for closer coordination between EU-regional-, agricultural-,transport-, fisheries- and marine policies. Secondly, it includes an action plan with a number of priority areas and flagship projects that will enhance the efforts of the EU member states in their work to implement the Baltic Sea Action Plan. Importantly it opens up for EU supportive actions for the Baltic Sea as a pilot project under the marine directive.
Ms. Lindholm emphasized that the HELCOM BSAP is based on sea capacities and each state shall devise measures to reach maximum allowable inputs of nutrients to reach good environment status of the Baltic Sea. Eight out of nine riparian countries in the Baltic Sea Region are EU Member States. To reach the goals of the Baltic Sea Action Plan it is important to get support from EU policies – Common Agriculture Policy, the Chemical Policy, Common Fisheries Policy and the Water Policy. The implementation of the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive has to go hand in hand with and be supportive in the implementation of the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan. All of these areas will be challenging tasks for the Swedish presidency in HELCOM. Selecting the Baltic Sea as a pilot project under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive would mean that the work within the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan – where we set a stricter time-table and conduct tougher actions than required in the directive – would be recognized in the framework of the marine directive.
Mr. Harro Pitkänen, representing Nordic Investment Bank and recently established NIB/NEFCO BSAP Fund, emphasized that the Baltic Sea Action Plan implementation will require massive, diversified action: from country to country, sector to sector and soft measures (public awareness, regulatory action, training, technical assistance) as well as hard measures (investments). According to Mr. Pitkänen supply of financing is not a bottleneck but financeable projects that will be effective and focused rather are and there is a need to assist project owners: private companies, households, farmers, associations, to help them create projects and make use of the resources available.
A technical fund has been set up by NIB and NEFCO with contributions from Sweden and Finland so far resulting in a fund of €10.6 million. NIB and NEFCO jointly manage these funds. Financing is provided as grants. Grants are delivered at an early phase of projects to assist in attaining loans and investments. It is important for the projects that there is a strong commitment by local participants. Fund is open for actors and funds channeled through other international or national financing institutions.
Mr. Pitkänen listed the eligible purposes for the BSAP Fund and among them (a) institutional support, such as training and support related to development, preparation and implementation of projects, (b) demonstration purposes e.g. purchase of equipment, funding of projects that have replicability, (c) project development and preparation to develop “bankable “ projects, (d) Project implementation.
The NIPs under the Baltic Sea Action Plan are crucial and an important frame of reference and projects included in NIPs will be given high priority. The follow-up financing instruments that can applied include:
NIB’s €500 million BASE facility that can be used for bankable projects, so far only one fifth has been allocated to bankable Baltic Sea related projects,
NEFCO risk capital financing,
European Investment Bank €75 million,
EU stuctural and cohesion funds.
Mr. Pitkänen told that projects are currently being identified where the fund can be of help. Some projects with potential for replication have already been identified e.g. business plans for poultry farms, biogas plants to address problems in agricultural sector, small and medium size WWTPs, management of agricultural run-off. But more applications and initiatives are welcome.
Strategic actions and flag ship projects to combat eutrophication
Co-moderators: Ms. Ulla Kaarikivi-Laine, Ministry of Environment of Finland and Mr. Marcin Witaszek, Chief Inspectorate for Environmental Protection, Poland
Ms. Ulla Kaarikivi-Laine laid the foundation for the thematic discussion by outlining how eutrophication is addressed in the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea region. She emphasized the need to focus on reducing the inputs of phosphorus especially through phosphorus removal from detergents and decreasing loads from agriculture. She also stressed the need to implement existing requirements under the HELCOM BSAP, EU MSFD and other directives for water protection in order to reach the objective of a Baltic Sea.
The following four projects involving also HELCOM, were presented as examples of on-going work aimed at reducing the input of nutrients to the Baltic Sea:
1. The PURE project was presented by the Project Manager, who outlined the major elements of the project addressing advanced phosphorus removal from municipal waste water treatment. The Project is among very few projects funded within the EU BSR Programme that create actual investments to reduce pollution inputs. It will facilitate improvements in municipal waste water treatment around the whole region, but project-driven investments will take place in Jurmala, Riga and Brest. The Project will also create a database of best practices both as concerns advanced P-removal and sewage sludge treatment.
2. The BaltHazar Project funded by the EU Parliament Pilot Project Facility addresses i.a. the reduction of nutrient leaching from large agricultural installations in Leningrad and Kaliningrad Regions of Russia. The Project has carried out extensive inventory of large units for extensive rearing of cattle, poultry and pigs in the aforementioned regions, as well as legal frameworks to mitigate nutrient pollution from agriculture runoff. Based on risk assessment followed by screening of the nutrient load the priority farms were identified for immediate measures that could be implemented to reduce significantly nutrient runoff. Systematic risk assessment is a good lesson from the project and it is recommendable to be replicated in other HELCOM countries.
3. The RusNIP project funded by the Government of Sweden has addressed the major sources of nutrient pollution from municipal sewage treatment and industries that are in the vicinity of the Baltic Sea within Leningrad and Kaliningrad Regions of the Russian Federation in order to provide inputs to development of Russian national implementation programmes under the BSAP. The project identified most cost-efficient measures which will allow total reduction of phosphorus load to both Gulf of Finland and the Baltic Proper that implements the HELCOM BSAP nutrient reduction targets. The transboundary load to the Gulf of Riga shall be also assessed to cope with estimated 140 tP/year load from Russia to this sub-basin, to be further assessed. For the future phases, the Project plans elaboration of tools for cost-effectiveness, monitoring and assessment together with BaltHazar and pre-feasibility studies.
4. The Baltic COMPASS Project is a strategic Project funded under the EU BSR Programme and it will serve to develop of a regional policy platform for sustainable agriculture, addressing various aspects ranging from manure management and application of fertilizers to climate change abatement measures and rural development. The Project will also generate investment proposal for different cost-efficient options for reduction of nutrient inputs from agriculture. The Project also aims to act as an umbrella for various smaller projects in this field to coordinate and mutually benefit from their coherent implementation.
Strategic actions and flagship projects to halt inputs of hazardous substances
Co-moderators: Ms. Petra Wallberg, Swedish Environmental Protection Agency and Ms. Helena Parkman, Swedish Chemicals Agency
The situation with pollution by hazardous substances remains unsatisfactory and it is proved by recent HELCOM assessments, e.g. for dioxins and dioxin-like PCB, TBT, as well as new threats represented, e.g. by pharmaceuticals.
The EUSBSR has very clear connection to the implementation of the HELCOM BSAP and its priority area 2 will be to a large extent based on the ongoing activities within HELCOM, e.g. the HAZAS assessment and the Holistic Assessment of the Marine Environment. The priority area 2 shall contribute to implementation of the EU WFD as well as MSFD. The work on this priority area will have its formal kick-off on 15-16 April in Stockholm, while this conference will provide inputs to development/identification of the pilot projects.
The COHIBA Project aims at development of innovative and cost-efficient tools to control hazardous substance inputs from municipal and industrial sources. The project will test bioindication of toxic pollution to trace specific sources of hazardous substance in the waste streams. The Project will elaborate Substance Flow Analysis for all HELCOM hazardous substances of specific concern that will allow substance-specific measures both at sources, as well as pathways to the Baltic.
The BaltHazar Project also addresses i.a. the reduction of contamination of the Baltic Sea by hazardous substance leaching from hazardous waste sites in Leningrad and Kaliningrad Regions of Russia. The Project has carried out extensive inventory of these sites in the aforementioned regions, including the municipal solid waste sites, as well as legal frameworks to mitigate hazardous pollution. Based on risk assessment followed by screening of the pollution load the priority sites were identified for immediate measures that could be implemented to reduce inputs of hazardous substances. The Project will provide good synergies to the COHIBA Project by adding Russian data on contaminant load from selected landfills. Systematic risk assessment of waste dumpsites is a good lesson from the project that could be recommended for replication in other HELCOM countries.
The BEAST Project focuses on testing and validation of biological effects monitoring in order to consider it for integration into regular sea monitoring practices. The Project will develop compilation of best practices of cost-efficient monitoring tools for bioindication of toxic pollution. It will also develop guidelines for integrated chemical-biological sea monitoring to be applied at Baltic-wide scale. It will lead to development of integrated ecosystem health assessment. The Project is strongly connected to implementation and development of regional and European environmental policies, including the HELCOM BSAP and the EU MSFD.
Strategic actions and flagship projects to protect biodiversity
Moderator: Ms. Heike Imhoff, Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Germany
In her introduction to the session, Ms. Imhoff outlined the actions of the EU Baltic Sea Strategy that are relevant to the protection of biodiversity:
- “To implement the Baltic Sea Action Plan” with specific reference to the biodiversity and nature conservation segment, as well as the Ballast Water Road Map, of the Baltic Sea Action Plan, and to the implementation of EU regulations and policies, including the CFP and the integrated EU Maritime Policy,
- “Reduce the negative effects of fishing on the Baltic ecosystem”.
She also outlined the relevant flagship projects of the EU Baltic Sea Strategy:
I “Create marine protected areas” with a need to develop management plans and involve marine spatial planning aspects”
II “Establish measures to facilitate migration and reproduction of migratory fish species”.
The governments of the HELCOM Contracting Parties decided in the Baltic Sea Action Plan (2007), to “designate by 2009 already established marine Natura 2000 sites, where appropriate, as HELCOM BSPAs and to designate by 2010 additional BSPAs especially in the offshore areas beyond territorial waters”. The presentation on ecological coherence and management of the network of the Baltic Sea marine protected areas by Mr. Dieter Boedeker, Germany gave an overview of a the status of the network of Baltic Sea Protected Areas (BSPA) and Natura 2000 sites in the Helsinki Convention Area based on a draft assessment that will be presented to the HELCOM Ministerial Meeting in 2010.
The results of the draft assessment indicate that the current network of marine protected areas in the Baltic Sea covers an area which is larger than 10 % of the Baltic Sea and as such the 10 % target for area conserved that has been set for regional seas by the UN CBD COP7 has been reached. Mr. Boedeker highlighted that the Baltic Sea region is the first marine region in the world to pass the 10% target. However, the report also indicates that species and habitats are still not receiving sufficient protection, there are numerous threats that pose a risk to the marine environment and management of the protected areas is still at an insufficient level. For example shipping, navigation and fishing are addressed rarely in the management plans of the protected areas and eutrophication and pollution by hazardous substances were considered to threaten most of the areas.
The designations of new protected areas by the HELCOM Contracting Parties will assist in accomplishing the EU Strategy’s action on the completion the designation of a network of marine protected areas in the Baltic Sea. Further action will still be needed to designate further areas in the off-shore areas, develop appropriate management and measures for the protected areas that correspond to threats towards species or habitats that the protected areas are designated to protect.
Another project, HELCOM SALAR presented by Mr. Orian Bondestam, Finland has been initiated in 2010 with co-funding from HELCOM and the EU. It aims to provide an overview of the state of salmon and sea trout populations in rivers flowing into the Baltic Sea. It also aims at classifying the river populations of salmon and sea trout and analysing the status of rivers as a habitat for these migratory fish species. These activities will assist in prioritising rivers in need of conservation measures and for development of restoration plans to reinstate populations of migratory fish. The analysis will cover both salmonid species and their passage to the reproduction grounds as well as the riverine waters and habitats.
HELCOM Red List project which was presented by Ms. Mona Johansson, Sweden aims at producing a comprehensive Red List of Baltic Sea species and updating Red Lists of Baltic Sea habitats/biotopes and biotope complexes for the HELCOM area by 2013, as agreed in the Baltic Sea Action Plan. The HELCOM Red Lists will be prepared according to the IUCN Red List criteria for the following species groups: macrophytes, benthic invertebrates, water birds, fish and lamprey species, and marine mammals. In regard to fish and lamprey species, this means updating of the existing HELCOM Red List (BSEP No. 109). The underwater part of the HELCOM Red List of Baltic Sea biotopes and biotope complexes (BSEP No. 75) will also be updated. This task includes improving the current biotope classification and adopting harmonised and appropriate criteria for the threat assessments of biotopes.
HELCOM Red List will produce as important by-products checklists of species for each of the assessed species groups, as well as background documentation for the species that will be assessed. Currently, distribution information has been collected already for 2000 species and the first check-lists will be finalised by the summer 2010. The updating of the biotope classification is an important task of the project and the work will be carried in cooperation with the EU SeaMap project.
The HELCOM Red List project will facilitate the implementation of the EU Strategy’s action in priority area 2 to preserve natural zones and biodiversity, including fisheries, coordinated by Germany, by providing Baltic Sea specific information on the threatened species and biotopes.
Strategic actions and flagship projects in the field of maritime activities
Co-moderators: Ms. Clea Henrichsen, Danish Maritime Authority, Ms. Charlotte Wiin Havsteen, Danish Maritime Safety Administration, and Mr. Claus Rasmussen, Ministry of Defense of Denmark.
The moderators set the scene for further presentations and discussions by referring directly to three priority areas of the EU Strategy for Baltic Sea Region, namely:
- PA 4 “To become a model region for clean shipping”;
- PA 13 “To become a leading region in maritime safety and security”;
- PA 14 “To reinforce maritime accident response capacity protection from major emergencies”.
Many actions in these priority areas are closely linked to/are based on the HELCOM work to implement the Baltic Sea Action Plan, and both programmes will benefit from close coordination and streamlining the efforts. The Kick-off meeting for Priority Area 4 of the Strategy was organized on 27 January 2010, and the meetings to start up implementation of the other two priority areas will be organized soon. Some flag ship projects have already been started, some others are still in the process of finding the lead parties, while for some areas the proposals are being put forward to be flagged as EU strategy projects. Ms. Clea Henrichsen mentioned a one new flagship project that has been added to the PA 4 on feasibility study of LNG infrastructure for short sea shipping, to be conducted by the Danish Maritime Authority.
The BRISK Project (Sub-regional risk of spill of oil and hazardous substances in the Baltic Sea), co-funded by EU (ERDF) aims at assessing the risk of shipping accidents in the whole Baltic Sea area in order to identify the areas with highest risk and check whether the existing emergency and response capacities in each sub-region of the Baltic Sea are sufficient to tackle major spills of oil or hazardous substances. Based on the risk assessment, the countries will prepare concrete programmes for filling in the identified gaps in the response resources. This work is being done to fulfill the commitments of HELCOM countries in the “response” part of the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan and HELCOM Recommendation 28E/12 on sub-regional cooperation in response field, and will be completed by April 2012.
The BRISK Project, covering eight HELCOM countries being also EU members, is to be complemented with corresponding activities in Russia within the BRISK-RU Project financed by the Nordic council of Ministers.
Due to importance of the BRISK Project, it has been granted a strategic status within the Baltic Sea Region Programme (BSRP) 2007-2013 as well as it has been chosen as a flagship project in the EU strategy for the Baltic Sea Region.
Another important project recognized in similar way within BSRP and the EU Strategy is EfficienSea (Efficient, Safe and Sustainable Traffic at Sea). The EfficienSea Project, also co-financed by EU, aims at improving maritime safety in the Baltic Sea region by addressing the shortage of competent recruits in the maritime sector, demonstration of the E-navigation concept, integration of maritime traffic data into a coastal environmental framework, and improving maritime traffic control. The project will also carry out dynamic sensitivity mapping, taking into account social and economical view, and will do risk analyses for open and coastal waters as well as fairways, to serve as learning and real-time modeling. The project is to be completed in 2012, and have a possibility to apply for a two-year extension phase (similar to other strategic projects like BRISK).
The idea for a new project to investigate and offer cost-efficient policy options to further reduce ship emissions from ships was also presented. The BSR InnoShip Project (Baltic Sea cooperation for reducing ship and port emissions through knowledge- & innovation-based competitiveness) (previously called REBAS) is being developed by Finland in cooperation with other countries and with support of HELCOM to give advice to decision-makers on how to reduce ship emissions in a cost-efficient way (e.g. cost of measures vs. reduced costs related to health effect). The Project will also assess the impact of NOx emission on the marine environment in the whole Baltic Sea, including NOx contribution to eutrophication of the Baltic. It will also deal with health effects of emissions, develop holistic environmental management regarding exhaust emissions, and implement pilot measures in cities and ports. The idea is also to make the project to serve as a pilot project of World Meteorological Organization.
The BaltSeaPlan Project (Towards introducing Maritime spatial Planning in the Baltic Sea) aims at developing, introducing and implementing Maritime spatial Planning throughout the Baltic Sea Region in a coherent manner. The project will prepare concrete proposals for maritime spatial plans and strategic environmental impact assessments (SEA) on selected pilot sites in the Baltic Sea by carrying out a broad scale inventory of maritime uses in each pilot area. The project will provide input to the realization of the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan, EU Maritime Policy and the VASAB Gdańsk Declaration. Public acceptance and stakeholder involvement have been highlighted as the key elements of the MSP process.
There is a need to establish a joint HELCOM/VASAB project which by 2012 would have tested and applied the common HELCOM/VASAB principles for broad scale marine spatial planning, taking into account the results and work, including data compiled, in the BaltSeaPlan.
The complete Outcome of the Conference is contained in document HELCOM 31/2010, 2/2